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In This Article

  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Protocol
  • Representative Results
  • Discussion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Materials
  • References
  • Reprints and Permissions

Summary

Detailed step-by-step protocols are described here for studying mechanical signals in vitro using multipotent O9-1 neural crest cells and polyacrylamide hydrogels of varying stiffness.

Abstract

Neural crest cells (NCCs) are vertebrate embryonic multipotent cells that can migrate and differentiate into a wide array of cell types that give rise to various organs and tissues. Tissue stiffness produces mechanical force, a physical cue that plays a critical role in NCC differentiation; however, the mechanism remains unclear. The method described here provides detailed information for the optimized generation of polyacrylamide hydrogels of varying stiffness, the accurate measurement of such stiffness, and the evaluation of the impact of mechanical signals in O9-1 cells, a NCC line that mimics in vivo NCCs.

Hydrogel stiffness was measured using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and indicated different stiffness levels accordingly. O9-1 NCCs cultured on hydrogels of varying stiffness showed different cell morphology and gene expression of stress fibers, which indicated varying biological effects caused by mechanical signal changes. Moreover, this established that varying the hydrogel stiffness resulted in an efficient in vitro system to manipulate mechanical signaling by altering gel stiffness and analyzing the molecular and genetic regulation in NCCs. O9-1 NCCs can differentiate into a wide range of cell types under the influence of the corresponding differentiation media, and it is convenient to manipulate chemical signals in vitro. Therefore, this in vitro system is a powerful tool to study the role of mechanical signaling in NCCs and its interaction with chemical signals, which will help researchers better understand the molecular and genetic mechanisms of neural crest development and diseases.

Introduction

Neural crest cells (NCCs) are a group of stem cells during vertebrate embryogenesis with a remarkable ability to migrate and contribute to the development of various organs and tissues. NCCs can differentiate into different cell types, including sensory neurons, cartilage, bone, melanocytes, and smooth muscle cells, depending on the location of axial origin and the local environmental guidance of the NCC1,2. With the ability to differentiate into a wide array of cell types, genetic abnormalities that cause dysregulation at any stage of neural crest (NC) development can lead to numerous congenital diseases

Protocol

1. Hydrogel preparation

NOTE: All steps must be performed in a cell culture hood that has been disinfected with ethanol and ultraviolet (UV)-sterilized before use to maintain sterility. Tools, such as tweezers and pipettes, must be sprayed with ethanol. Buffer solutions must also be sterile-filtered.

  1. Preparation of aminosilane-coated glass coverslips
    1. Place the desired number of glass coverslips onto a piece of laboratory wipe.
      NOTE: Prepare an additional 3-4 cov.......

Representative Results

Hydrogel preparation and stiffness assessment through AFM and the Hertz model
Here, a detailed protocol is provided to generate polyacrylamide hydrogels of varying stiffness by regulating the ratio of acrylamide and bis-acrylamide. However, the polyacrylamide hydrogels are not ready for the adhesion of cells due to the lack of ECM proteins. Thus, sulfo-SANPAH, acting as a linker, covalently binds to the hydrogels and reacts with the primary amines of ECM proteins to allow the adhesion of ECM protei.......

Discussion

The goal of the current study is to provide an effective and efficient in vitro system to better understand the impact of mechanical signals in NCCs. In addition to following the step-by-step protocol mentioned above, researchers need to keep in mind that the cell culture of O9-1 NCCs is affected by the type of glass coverslips used to prepare hydrogels. For instance, it was noted that cells seeded on a specific type of glass coverslip (see the Table of Materials) survived and proliferated .......

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Ana-Maria Zaske, operator of Atomic Force Microscope-UT Core facility at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, for the contributed expertise in AFM in this project. We also thank the funding sources from the National Institutes of Health (K01DE026561, R03DE025873, R01DE029014, R56HL142704, and R01HL142704 to J. Wang).

....

Materials

NameCompanyCatalog NumberComments
12 mm #1 Corning 0211 Glass CoverslipChemglass Life SciencesCLS-1763-012
2% Bis-AcrylamideSigma AldrichM1533
24-well plateGreiner Bio-one662165
25 mm #1 Corning 0211 Glass CoverslipChemglass Life SciencesCLS-1763-025
3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTS)Sigma AldrichA3648
4-well cell culture plateThermo Scientific179830
4% ParaformaldehydeSigma AldrichJ61899-AP
40% AcrylamideSigma AldrichA4058
50% glutaraldehydeSigma AldrichG7651
6-well cell culture plateGreiner Bio-one657160
AFM cantilever (spherical bead)Novascan
AFM softwareCatalyst NanoScopeModel: 8.15 SR3R1
Alexa Fluor 488 PhalloidinThermo FisherA12379
Ammonium Persulfate (APS)Sigma Aldrich248614Powder
anti-AP-2α AntibodySanta Cruzsc-12726
anti-Vinculin antibodyAbcamab129002
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) Bioscope CatalystBruker Corporation
Collagen type I (100mg)Corning354236
DAPI (4',6-Diamidino-2-Phenylindole, Dihydrochloride)Thermo FisherD1306
Dichloromethylsilane (DCMS)Sigma Aldrich440272
Donkey serumSigma AldrichD9663
Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM)Corning10-017-CV
Fetal bovine serum (FBS)Corning35-010-CV
Fluorescence microscopeLeicaModel DMi8
Fluoromount-G mounting mediumSouthernBiotech0100-35
HEPESSigma AldrichH3375Powder
Horse serumCorning35-030-CI
iScript Reverse Transcription SupermixBio-Rad1708841
Penicillin-Streptomycin antibioticThermo Fisher15140148
RNeasy micro kitQiagen74004
Sterile 1x PBSHycloneSH30256.02
Sterile deionized waterHardy DiagnosticsU284
sulfo-SANPAHThermo Fisher22589
SYBR greenApplied Biosystems4472908
TEMEDSigma AldrichT9281
Triton X-100Sigma AldrichX100
Tween 20Sigma AldrichP9416

References

  1. Mehrotra, P., Tseropoulos, G., Bronner, M. E., Andreadis, S. T. Adult tissue-derived neural crest-like stem cells: Sources, regulatory networks, and translational potential. Stem Cells Translational Medicine. 9 (3), 328-341 (2020).
  2. Liu, J. A., Cheung, M.

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Neural Crest CellsMechanical SignalsChemical SignalsNeural Crest DevelopmentDiseasesGlass Cover SlipsSterilizationSodium HydroxideAminopropyl TriethoxysilaneGlutaraldehydeDichloromethane SilaneHydrogelAcrylamide Gel

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